Ahead of her upcoming show at Theatre Royal, we spoke with Donna Young, who has spent over 35 years practicing as a Spirit medium, after a near-death experi­ence inspired her to work in this space.

You share that your connection with Spirit started at age four. What’s the dif­ference between what you experienced then and what you experience now?

I understand what I’m seeing now, and I’m much more accepted by people than I was when I was younger. When I was a child growing up in the 1970s, this work was still illegal in Australia, so it wasn’t something people openly spoke about. Over the years, Spirit has changed the way they communicate with me. As a child, I would see, hear and feel Spirit, but I couldn’t always tell the difference between someone living and someone who had passed, except that those who had passed often had beautiful lights around them. Sometimes Spirit would show me things like a television screen. I remote view, so when Spirit or people tell me a story I go to that place to see.

As I grew older, they began showing me predictions in dreams. I would see accidents and people passing before it happened. I couldn’t change or stop these events; they were simply warnings for me. Over time, I learned to understand what I was being shown, and today I don’t only work professionally as a medium but also teach others how to develop their own connection with Spirit.

You were diagnosed with terminal cancer and a cerebral thrombosis at 16. How did that experience reshape what you believed before versus after?

My near-death experiences taught me a great deal about the process of passing and what exists beyond this life. When I returned at 16, I came back with a huge amount of information that I gradually had to incorporate into my life and teachings without sounding too bizarre to others.

That experience completely reshaped my understanding of life, death and Spirit. It gave me the understanding I needed to assist people through my readings and to better interpret what I was seeing. All three cancers and the many other health challeng­es I’ve faced have helped me better under­stand and support others. One of the most important things I learned is about what I call the “grey area” – an in-between space of peace and calm. It is from this space that I am often able to do readings.

Because of this, some readings can connect with people who have not yet passed and may not pass for some time. There is no pain there. It is a place I have seen people enter during dementia, coma, severe illness, or confusion. Many people with disabilities move freely within this space. It is peaceful, beautiful, and calm, and from there they can often connect with loved ones on the other side. I’ve always seen it almost like an old black-and-white movie, which is why I call it the grey area.

What does it feel like when you’re channelling? Do you feel like you’re choosing the words you share, or is it less controlled?

Channelling is the perfect word. The way I work is that I see people’s loved ones stand­ing beside them. If I’m reading via Zoom, they will often stand beside me instead. We communicate much like two people having a conversation. I also blend with their ener­gy, which means I can feel how they passed, whether they had difficulties with speech, paralysis or other physical challenges. I can smell things associated with them, and they often show me events from the past or future through what I describe as video-like images. This is often referred to as remote viewing. After more than 35 years of doing this work, I’ve simply learned how to bring all those pieces together to deliver clear evidence, guidance and messages.

And can you turn it off?

Yes, it’s very important to be able to switch it on and off. For me, it’s as simple as flicking a switch. Working with Spirit only becomes complicated when we make it complicated. I don’t believe in reading peo­ple without their permission, so switching off is essential. What I’ve found over the years is that when people attempt to read others without invitation, the information is often inaccurate anyway.

During a show, or even when you’re out in public, does it feel like there’s a lot of ‘noise’ from Spirits wanting to communicate?

During a live show, yes. I work closely with my team in Spirit to keep some order so that the messages come through as clearly as possible and reach the people who need them most and to know who the information is coming from, usually I have many people come through as spirit gets excited to connect. Outside of work, however, I switch off. I believe everyone deserves privacy, and I don’t spend my life reading people when I’m out in public.

What can guests expect from your show at Theatre Royal?

People can expect an evening filled with ev­idence, guidance, predictions, laughter, tears and a whole new perspective on life. Spirit will often bring me directly to a particular person or area of the audience. I then deliver messages from their loved ones using clear evidence, guidance about information I could not possibly know, and predictions for the future which often come true in detail. Spirit communicates very quickly, which allows me to connect with many people throughout the two-hour show.